Mounting SMB to a tank?

[BarelyBreathing]

Hi... I'm a warm water rec diver who hasn't gone down the BP/W route. (please don't shoot! )
Lately, been thinking about alternative ways to neatly carry a pre-rigged SMB-finger-spool-double-boltsnap bundle without:

- attempting to stuff it all into a bc pocket (which already has to hold other stuff)
- letting it dangle off a d-ring
- adding neoprene pockets/other wetsuit mods

Looking for feedback on whether you think it might be viable to stick it all into a draw-cord mesh pouch, and strapping it to the bottom of the tank with a couple of tight bungees or those elastic hose retaining tank bands? In my simplistic mind, I would just reach behind to the bottom third of the tank (like I would if reaching for a tank banger), retrieve the whole mesh pouch out from under the bungee/band, remove the bundle, stow the mesh bag and shoot. Sounds feasible? What would be the watch-outs? Any alternative suggestions with my gear being what it is?

(I dive single-tank with a Scubapro GO bc)

 

[DENLASCUBA]

Just take a bungee, surgical tubbing, or electric rope (as seen on some computer/compass wrist mounts and wrist slates) and make it tight around the tank with just enough space to squeeze your smb in between. Then when you need it you can just pull it and have the smb come loose and the item securing it stays in place.

Of of course when you have it set up practice a few times to get the feel of pulling it loose.

 

[BarelyBreathing]

Cool! So no safety issues you think?
I think this particular one might be quite effective as it supposedly grips the tank well...

SCUBA Diving Equipment for Technical, Sidemount, Rebreather, Wreck and Cave Diving: Dive Rite, Inc - Product Catalog - Deluxe Hose Retainers

 

[Rand]

I would suggest either gluing pockets to your wetsuit or using neoprene pocket shorts as my first choice. It seems that is not what you want to do, so my second choice would be to mount an external pouch to your BCD.

If you can find one of these Deep Outdoors accessory pouches, they work great for securing SMBs.


Before I switched to a BP/W and wetsuit pockets, I mounted this pouch to the grommet holes on one side of my BCD with a thick zip tie. I had to drill some holes in the back of the SMB pouch to do it, and I added some fastex buckles to the securing straps to make it easier to deploy, but it worked great.

I'll post a picture later of the above pouch mounted on a spare BCD that I have to show you how it looks. It sticks out a bit, but it doesn't get in the way.

It looks like your BCD has grommet holes, probably for mounting a knife, on at least one side. So, you should be able to do something similar.

Sadly, Deep Outdoors is out of business, and these pouches are hard to find. You might be able to find a similar product from another manufacturer or even make an SMB holder if you have the skills and materials.

XS Scuba and Dive Rite make mesh lift bag/SMB sleeves that might work for you. You might be able to zip tie them to the back of your BCD or use cave line, or you might even be able to use the grommet holes and zip tie the sleeve as I mentioned for the pouch above. In my experience, these sleeves hold the SMB securely, but they take a little effort to deploy, but you won't be able to re-stow the bag underwater.

Dive Rite also makes an elastic SMB retainer that I tried out and found a little easier to deploy/re-stow than the mesh bags.

My preference would be to stay away from bungie cording anything behind me, especially to the tank. You wouldn't be able to tell if it came loose during the dive, it might be hard to deploy and will be impossible to re-stow, and it might be left behind on a rental tank when you leave the boat. I want all my gear kept tidy and close at hand, and stowed in places where I know it's not going to come loose. It's not the only way to do things, just the way I prefer to dive.

 

[herman]

The easiest method and the one I use is to simply add a 2" D ring to the lower tank camband. I run the band through a triglide, through the D ring then back through the triglide. That keeps the d ring in place. I locate the Dring next to the wing of the BC and since I am left handed I put the ring on the left side. It may sound hard to reach but it is actually very easy and because it is behind you, the SMB lays on your back rather than hanging down. I replace the clip on the SMB with a clip that has a attachment ring end that is large enough for my little finger to go through. That way I can hold the SMB securely with my ring and little finger while operating the clip with my thumb, middle and index finger. This method will work with any BC.

 

[Steve_C]

neoprene pocket shorts .

+1 also good for lights, etc. I find my BCD pockets a bit of a pain to use for stuff other than emergency stuff. Hard to close.

 

[BarelyBreathing]

Thanks for all the suggestions! For some reason, a reply i posted earlier is still awaiting moderation (!). I didn't know posting pics on this board needs to be moderated.

Anyway I thought maybe this just might be the ticket for what I had in mind:
SCUBA Diving Equipment for Technical, Sidemount, Rebreather, Wreck and Cave Diving: Dive Rite, Inc - Product Catalog - Deluxe Hose Retainers

It's a few inches wide and has bits of silicone on the surface that contacts with the tank. That should work well for strapping over a mesh-pouch bundle and keeping it relatively streamlined and as far as I can imagine, secure yet easy to retrieve. Re-stowing isn't something I expect to be doing coz it's prob to let the boat know where I am if need be.

Y'all think?

@Rand... I do take your point about accidentally leaving it on the rental tank and never seeing it again. It will take some mental discipline to commit to using a checklist. :crazyeye:
I think I'd rather not have something adding to the front of the bc though... you're right the GO has grommets on the left pocket for a knife. I fixed a scubapro model to it and have taken it off... didn't like the way it encroached on my left arm's mobility. My triceps kept making contact with handle edge of the knife which isn't particularly well finished and that's going to wear into the wetsuit quickly. I think generally I just prefer to have as little as possible in front of me I guess so not sure if adding an smb/spool bundle onto the bc grommets is going to work well for me.

@herman... That sounds like some good dexterity you've got there man!

@Steve_C... Yeah bc pockets suck, pretty much.

 

[BarelyBreathing]

Why does everything I reply need to wait for moderation? :buggy:

 

[knotical]

Why does everything I reply need to wait for moderation? :buggy:

You ran into our spam filter. One frequent characteristic of spammers is a new member posting URLs. I've approved your posts and you should be fine now.

 

[herman]

Actually, no it is VERY easy to get to the SMB on the lower tank band....try it, how hard is it for you to get your hand above the waist and on your back.